Collision avoidance assistance device, storage medium, and collision avoidance assistance method

1. A collision avoidance assistance device of a vehicle, the vehicle including: information output devices that output information for detecting an obstacle, information for recognizing a road structure in a traveling direction, and information related to a traveling situation of the vehicle; internal field sensors that detect a state quantity of the vehicle, the state quantity indicating an operating state of the vehicle; and a collision avoidance assistance mechanism for assisting in avoidance of a collision with the obstacle, the collision avoidance assistance device comprising: a first determination section that determines a probability that a driver of the vehicle intends to change a course of the vehicle, by (i) using, as a recognition result, the information for recognizing the road structure in the traveling direction output by the information output devices and (ii) using, as a detection result, the state quantity of the vehicle comprising a predicted change in steering angle over time as the vehicle travels and information from the internal field sensors; a second determination section that determines the probability that the driver of the vehicle intends to change the course of the vehicle, by using the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle output by the information output devices; a decision section that decides an operation mode of collision avoidance assistance using the collision avoidance assistance mechanism, by using a combination of a determination result of the first determination section and a determination result of the second determination section; and an assistance section that performs a process for controlling the collision avoidance assistance mechanism in the operation mode that has been decided by the decision section, upon detection of a collision probability with the obstacle using the information output by the information output devices.

2. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode of the assistance section includes a first mode, and a second mode for providing stronger assistance than in the first mode, the first determination section determines the probability with at least two stages including a first probability value, and a second probability value higher than the first probability value, the second determination section determines the probability with at least two stages including a third probability value, and a fourth probability value higher than the third probability value, and the decision section decides the first mode in a case where the determination result of the first determination section is the first probability value and the determination result of the second determination section is the third probability value, and decides the second mode in a case where the determination result of the first determination section is the third probability value and the determination result of the second determination section is the fourth probability value.

3. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the information output devices include a rear lateral side radar having a detection range that is a rear lateral side of the vehicle, as a device that outputs the information for detecting the obstacle.

4. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the information output devices include a microphone that acquires a voice, as a device that outputs the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle, and the second determination section, upon detection that a passenger on the vehicle has made an utterance about a course change of the vehicle by using the voice that has been acquired by the microphone, determines that the probability is higher than a case where the utterance about the course change is not detected.

5. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the information output devices include a route guidance device as a device that outputs the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle, and the second determination section, in a case of traveling on a different route from a guide route by the route guidance device, determines that the probability is higher than a case of traveling along the guide route.

6. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the information output devices include at least any of a route guidance device and a camera that has an imaging range including an area in front of the vehicle, as a device that outputs the information for recognizing the road structure in the traveling direction.

7. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the internal field sensors include at least any of a steering angle sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a device that outputs a flashing state of a blinker, and the first determination section determines the probability, by estimating whether the vehicle is traveling along a road by using the recognition result of the road structure by the information output devices and the detection result by the internal field sensors.

8. The collision avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the probability that the driver intends to change the course of the vehicle comprises a probability that the driver intends to make a turn.

9. A storage medium that stores a program causing a computer of a vehicle, which includes: information output devices that output information for detecting an obstacle, information for recognizing a road structure in a traveling direction, and information related to a traveling situation of the vehicle; internal field sensors that detect a state quantity of the vehicle, the state quantity indicating an operating state of the vehicle; and a collision avoidance assistance mechanism for assisting in avoidance of a collision with the obstacle, to perform: performing a first determination of determining a probability that a driver of the vehicle intends to change a course of the vehicle, by (i) using, as a recognition result, the information for recognizing the road structure in the traveling direction output by the information output devices and (ii) using, as a detection result, the state quantity of the vehicle comprising a predicted change in steering angle over time as the vehicle travels and information from the internal field sensors; performing a second determination of determining the probability that the driver of the vehicle intends to change the course of the vehicle, by using the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle output by the information output devices; deciding an operation mode of collision avoidance assistance using the collision avoidance assistance mechanism, by using a combination of a determination result of the first determination and a determination result of the second determination; and performing a process for controlling the collision avoidance assistance mechanism in the operation mode that has been decided, upon detection of a collision probability with the obstacle using the information output by the information output devices.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the operation mode of collision avoidance assistance includes a first mode, and a second mode for providing stronger assistance than in the first mode, the first determination determines the probability with at least two stages including a first probability value, and a second probability value higher than the first probability value, the second determination determines the probability with at least two stages including a third probability value, and a fourth probability value higher than the third probability value, and the operation mode of collision avoidance assistance is decided as the first mode in a case where the determination result of the first determination is the first probability value and the determination result of the second determination is the third probability value and decided as the second mode in a case where the determination result of the first determination is the third probability value and the determination result of the second determination is the fourth probability value.

11. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the information output devices include a rear lateral side radar having a detection range that is a rear lateral side of the vehicle, as a device that outputs the information for detecting the obstacle.

12. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the information output devices include a microphone that acquires a voice, as a device that outputs the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle, and the second determination, upon detection that a passenger on the vehicle has made an utterance about a course change of the vehicle by using the voice that has been acquired by the microphone, determines that the probability is higher than a case where the utterance about the course change is not detected.

13. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the information output devices include a route guidance device as a device that outputs the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle, and the second determination, in a case of traveling on a different route from a guide route by the route guidance device, determines that the probability is higher than a case of traveling along the guide route.

14. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the information output devices include at least any of a route guidance device and a camera that has an imaging range including an area in front of the vehicle, as a device that outputs the information for recognizing the road structure in the traveling direction.

15. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the internal field sensors include at least any of a steering angle sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a device that outputs a flashing state of a blinker, and the first determination determines the probability, by estimating whether the vehicle is traveling along a road by using the recognition result of the road structure by the information output devices and the detection result by the internal field sensors.

16. A collision avoidance assistance method by a collision avoidance assistance device of a vehicle, the vehicle including: information output devices that output information for detecting an obstacle, information for recognizing a road structure in a traveling direction, and information related to a traveling situation of the vehicle; internal field sensors that detect a state quantity of the vehicle, the state quantity indicating an operating state of the vehicle; and a collision avoidance assistance mechanism for assisting in avoidance of a collision with the obstacle, the collision avoidance assistance method comprising: performing a first determination of determining a probability that a driver of the vehicle intends to change a course of the vehicle, by (i) using, as a recognition result, the information for recognizing the road structure in the traveling direction output by the information output devices and (ii) using, as a detection result, the state quantity of the vehicle comprising a predicted change in steering angle over time as the vehicle travels and information from the internal field sensors; performing a second determination of determining the probability that the driver of the vehicle intends to change the course of the vehicle, by using the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle output by the information output devices; deciding an operation mode of collision avoidance assistance using the collision avoidance assistance mechanism, by using a combination of a determination result of the first determination and a determination result of the second determination; and performing a process for controlling the collision avoidance assistance mechanism in the operation mode that has been decided, upon detection of a collision probability with the obstacle using the information output by the information output devices.

17. The collision avoidance assistance method according to claim 16, wherein the operation mode of collision avoidance assistance includes a first mode, and a second mode for providing stronger assistance than in the first mode, the first determination determines the probability with at least two stages including a first probability value, and a second probability value higher than the first probability value, the second determination determines the probability with at least two stages including a third probability value, and a fourth probability value higher than the third probability value, and the operation mode is decided as the first mode in a case where the determination result of the first determination is the first probability value and the determination result of the second determination is the third probability value, and decided as the second mode in a case where the determination result of the first determination is the third probability value and the determination result of the second determination is the fourth probability value.

18. The collision avoidance assistance method according to claim 16, wherein the information output devices include a rear lateral side radar having a detection range that is a rear lateral side of the vehicle, as a device that outputs the information for detecting the obstacle.

19. The collision avoidance assistance method according to claim 16, wherein the information output devices include a microphone that acquires a voice, as a device that outputs the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle, and the second determination, upon detection that a passenger on the vehicle has made an utterance about a course change of the vehicle by using the voice that has been acquired by the microphone, determines that the probability is higher than a case where the utterance about the course change is not detected.

20. The collision avoidance assistance method according to claim 16, wherein the information output devices include a route guidance device as a device that outputs the information related to the traveling situation of the vehicle, and the second determination, in a case of traveling on a different route from a guide route by the route guidance device, determines that the probability is higher than a case of traveling along the guide route.

21. The collision avoidance assistance method according to claim 16, wherein the information output devices include at least any of a route guidance device and a camera that has an imaging range including an area in front of the vehicle, as a device that outputs the information for recognizing the road structure in the traveling direction.